PHILADELPHIA - Former Creighton men's soccer players Seth Sinovic and Chris Schuler were selected in the 2010 Major Leage Soccer SuperDraft Thursday afternoon, extending Creighton's impressive streak of being the only college program in the country to have at least one player selected in every draft since the league's inception in 1996. Sinovic was taken in the second round by the New England Revolution as the 25th overall selection and Schuler was the 39th overall pick as taken by Real Salt Lake in the third round.
"It has been a tremendous run for us in the MLS draft," said Bluejay head coach Bob Warming. "Being the only school in America out of the thousands that play college soccer in all divisions to have a player drafted into the league since MLS began."
Sinovic repeated as an NSCAA All-Midwest Region honoree this season, earning third-team honors in 2009 after being named second-team in 2008. The two-time all-MVC first-teamer again combined stellar defensive play with a knack for attacking in 2009. The Leawood, Kan., native finished second on the team with three goals, four assists and 10 points, all coming from his left back slot. A co-captain with Schuler, Sinovic ended his career with eight goals, 15 assists and 31 points - transitioning from a walk-on to a second-round MLS draft pick.
"Seth Sinovic is another great story in Creighton soccer history," said Warming. "First of all, he is an (NSCAA) Scholar All-American. From a soccer standpoint, Seth's transformation as a player was fun to watch at Creighton. He was a walk-on who did not play his freshman year, he kept working and became a full time player, he earned a soccer scholarship and eventually became our team captain and now he gets drafted. It is a remarkable story, but it has happened more than once at Creighton, the exact same scenario. It affirms how important it is to have players in our program that have character and who understand how hard they have to work to get to the top both academically and in soccer."
A year after earning second-team NSCAA All-America accolades, Schuler was named second-team all-region in 2009, his third all-region honor as a Bluejay. One of the most dominant defenders in school history, Schuler was a first-team honoree in 2008 and also earned second-team notice in 2007. The 2008 MVC Defensive Player of the Year helped the Bluejays lead the MVC with a 0.76 goals against average in 2009, ranking among NCAA leaders in both GAA and shutout percentage - eight clean sheets in 16 matches. Schuler, a center back, became the ninth player in school history to be named first-team all-MVC three times - the first since David Wagenfuhr (2001-03). CU posted 37 shutouts over the last four years with Schuler and Sinovic anchoring the defense.
"Chris Schuler had a great career at Creighton," said Warming. "We led the nation in shutout percentage in 2008 and Chris was a big part of that. In terms of 1 v 1 defending on the ground, Chris is as good as I have seen in college soccer. I think he will really enjoy being with the MLS champions at Salt Lake and playing for Omaha native Jason Kreis. Former Bluejay Brian Kamler finished his MLS career there and loves the area, it will be great to have a former Creighton and MLS star there to support Chris as he learns the ropes."
The pair of co-captains were also on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List at the start of the season - the award annually given to the top player in Division I soccer.
The Bluejays now have had 24 players taken in 15 MLS drafts. Sinovic is the fourth Bluejay taken by the Revolution, following Andrei Gotsmanov who was taken in the second round by New England last year. Schuler is the first CU player drafted by Real Salt Lake, the reigning MLS Cup champions.
